The Throne Motif in the Book of Revelation

This book argues that the throne motif constitutes the major interpretive key to the complex structure and theology of the book of Revelation. In the first part of the book, Gallusz examines the throne motif in the Old Testament, Jewish literature and Graeco-Roman sources. He moves on to devote significant attention to the throne of God texts of Revelation and particularly to the analysis of the throne-room vision (chs. 4&5), which is foundational for the development of the throne motif. Gallusz reveals how Revelation utilizes the throne motif as the central principle for conveying a theological message, since it appears as the focus of the author from the outset to the climax of the drama. The book concludes with an investigation into the rhetorical impact of the motif and its contribution to the theology of Revelation. Gallusz finally shows that the throne, what it actually represents, is of critical significance both to Revelation's theism and to God's dealing with the problem of evil in the course of human history.

• Table Of Contents
• Introduction
• Part I: Background of the Throne Motif
  • 1. Old Testament
  • 2. Jewish Literature
  • 3. Graeco-Roman Sources
• Part II: Textual Analysis
  • 4. Throne of God
  • 5. The Lamb on the Throne
  • 6.Thrones of God's Allies
  • 7. Thrones of God's Adversaries
• Part III: Substantial Analysis
  • 8. The Structure of the Throne Motif
• Part IV: Functional Analysis
  • 9. The Rhetorical Impact of the Throne Motif
  • 10. Contribution to the Theology of Revelation